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Great Software Needs Great RequirementsRequirements are at the heart of every great product. That's why we've developed a two part series on improving requirements skills. In part one below, Joy Beatty, covers the steps for developing a strong requirements team. For part two, join our webinar to dive deeper into how to successfully manage a globally distributed requirements organization. Sign up for the webinar now to learn more about the tools, training, and methodologies that support distributed requirements teams. 5 Steps To Building A Strong Requirements Team:By Joy Beatty Globally, organizations are improving the success rate of their software projects by focusing on the quality of their requirements. In an April 16th article in CIO, Thomas Wailgum points out that CIOs are investing in software requirement teams, though an actual definition of the role that handles them remains somewhat vague. In so doing, internal IT teams have begun to manage internal software much like externally facing development groups manage their products – like product managers. This trend supports company objectives, improves ROI, and, most importantly, helps IT develop software that their internal customers love to use. So it is not surprising that more and more individuals are interested in performing the job of requirements analysis. Fortune 500 companies are consolidating their requirements groups. Plus, organizations like the IIBA and resources such as the BABOK lend credence to what was previously an unrecognized profession. There is no doubt that individuals and companies alike are benefitting from the standardization of the role. Harnessing the power of a great requirements team is challenging because the skills associated with requirements analysis are complex. There is a breadth and diversity in the skills and knowledge required that are alien to other positions, including
This whitepaper aims to outline a high level program for improving the skills of a requirements team, based on several years of experience at working in the Fortune 500 trenches. If you manage a team of requirements analysts or if you write requirements yourself, this paper will guide you through a process for developing the skill set that will help create software that your customers love to use. Blog HitsA Product Manager By Any Other Name...By Mike Alexander When I was younger, I used to care a great deal about people's titles. Maybe it was my little brain's way of organizing people like I organized my Tinkertoys (teachers go over here, doctors are over here, mommies are in this section...). In any case, I believed that a person's title told you all that you needed to know about him or her. I had grand plans for my own title when I grew up. I decided to be a "Professional." "A professional WHAT?," I'd often get asked, and I'd simply reply, "Oh, I don't know yet -- but whatever it is, I want to be a PROFESSIONAL at it." The work didn't matter, but the title did. Many people, as I did, place a great deal of emphasis on titles. On the Seilevel messageboard there are multiple threads discussing the differences between Business Analysts, Requirements Analysts, Product Managers, Project Managers, Systems Analysts, and even humorous entries like Requirementers, Information Vigilantes and 'Shall'icitors. In my career I've held the titles of Program Manager, Requirements Analyst, Manager of Requirements Management (say that three times fast), Business Systems Analyst, and Product Manager. I've done pretty much the same work in all of those jobs. Instead of worrying about what my business card says, I focus on doing my job well. How to Select Software Requirements TrainingBy Joy Beatty So it’s time for your organization to select requirements training for your business analysts, product managers, project managers, even developers. Here are some suggestions on what to look for! Course Agenda – make sure the agenda is published and the topics seem relevant to your group. For example, if you do not use RUP, do not select a RUP-based class. If your team is good at the basics, consider a more advanced class, for example focusing on elicitation. Training Costs – these are relatively consistent across courses, but typically you can expect to pay anywhere from 600-1500 per day per student. Time Commitment – make sure you sign up for a course you are willing to commit to. Typically industry courses are run in full or half day increments. Make sure your people know it’s a priority to attend once you’ve signed up. Also, I prefer courses that are done in smaller increments, for example a series of 4 classes at 2 hours each, because the students can take time to think about and practice the concepts between classes. This resembles the teaching method used in universities, but it is very hard to find in industry. The less obvious but more important: An Engaging Experience – the materials used during course must be engaging, as to not bore the students to sleep. As a rule of thumb, most learning happens in practice not lecture, so look for a course that has at least 50% of the time doing practice exercises. Competent Instructors – be sure that the instructors will be interesting to listen to. This may be tough to evaluate, but you could try calling them ahead of time. In addition, they need to be.... |
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